Mobsters

James "Whitey" Bulger is one of Boston's most notorious gangsters, who reigned supreme in Boston's underworld for more than 20 years. His rise to power, as part of South Boston's Irish-American Winter Hill gang, was due in part to a remarkable relationship with the FBI. In exchange for protection, Bulger ratted on mob rivals. It helped the feds flush out mobsters, but also consolidated Bulger's power. The FBI's so-called "Deal with the Devil" came to an end in 1995, when the shadowy affiliation was fully exposed, leading to the conviction of an FBI agent. Still, the elusive Whitey Bulger, found a way to evade capture, and to this day remains a fugitive from justice.

Murder, Inc. is the name for a ruthless gang that carried out mob hits during the 1930s. When mob leaders formed "The Syndicate," they became the "judge and jury," and Murder, Inc. "the executioner." As the enforcement arm of The Syndicate, members of Murder, Inc. killed an estimated 1,000 people from coast to coast. But through the efforts of some tenacious crime fighters, such as Assistant Brooklyn District Attorney Burton Turkus, and U.S Attorney Thomas Dewey, Murder, Inc. unraveled and its murderous reign of terror came to an end.

He was one of the most successful and notorious members of the Italian-American Mafia. During Tommy's tenure as underboss and boss of what would come to be known as the Lucchese crime family, he pioneered and perfected labor rackets in New York City's kosher chicken industry, the garment district, and the world of professional boxing which generated millions of dollars. The Lucchese organization maintained a prominent position within organized crime for more than six decades, seemingly invulnerable to prosecution. It was the one criminal organization that most directly affected the lives of ordinary Americans.

"Big Paul" Castellano served as boss of the Gambino crime family--the largest in New York during the 1970's and 80's. Castellano presented himself as a legitimate businessman and mingled with New York's upper crust, while running a multi-million dollar racketeering operation. From his $3.5 million dollar estate on Staten Island, he oversaw rackets in construction, meat distribution, union infiltration, pornography and more. But many Gambino members believed Castellano got a free ride to the top on the coattails of his predecessor, cousin and brother-in-law, Carlo Gambino. Nepotism and Castellano's reclusive lifestyle split the Gambino family into two factions, which would ultimately led to his undoing.

The fifth child of 13 children, John Joseph Gotti, Jr. was born October 27, 1940 in the South Bronx. From a very young age, John Gotti made a name for himself in the neighborhood as the leader of the Fulton-Rockaway Boys, a group of young thugs. He soon became "capo" of the East New York Crew. After a violent coup he went on to take the leadership position of the Gambino Crime family. All of these events would set Gotti on the path to becoming one of the most well-known figures in Mafia history. Gotti's legendary fashion flair made him an interesting character. His rough cunning made his fellow mafiosi respect him. Gotti's volatile temper made them and others fear him.

Carlos Marcello grew up in the mysterious milieu of New Orleans in the early 20th Century to become the city's mafia boss for almost four decades. Despite his modest beginnings, Carlos joined the mafia at age 26 and quickly climbed in the ranks, aided by success in illegal gambling ventures and a talent for making effective payoffs to public officials. In 1947, Marcello became the longtime boss of New Orleans in a reign marked by absolute power, corruption, and antagonism of the U.S. government. At his height he would be revered as possibly the most powerful mob leader in the nation. One day Congress would even suspect Marcello of participating in a conspiracy to kill the President of the United States.